What are antibiotic-resistant bacteria?
Some bacteria can defend themselves against antibiotics. These bacteria are referred to as antibiotic-resistant. Because of these resistant bacteria, some infectious diseases are becoming more difficult to treat. Learn More • Informacin en Espaol • Podcasts • Info for Patients and Parents Each time we take an antibiotic, bacteria are killed, but resistant ones may be left to grow and multiply. Resistant bacteria do not respond to the antibiotics and continue to cause infection. The overuse and misuse of antibiotics increase the growth and spread of these resistant bacteria. How do we detect or test for antibiotic-resistant bacteria? Your health provider can order laboratory tests to determine the cause of infection. However, laboratory tests are not always necessary to make a diagnosis and decide on the best treatment. Among the tests that can help identify the cause of infection is the “culture” test such as blood, throat, and urine culture. This test essentially uses a series of proc
